Sporting Kansas City releases schedule for 2013 Major League Soccer season

Sporting Kansas City released the club's 34-game regular season schedule on Wednesday for the 2013 Major League Soccer season, highlighted by 13 matches that will be carried on national television networks across the United States.

Full season tickets start at $400 for 20-game packages, which will include all 17 MLS home regular season matches as well as both CONCACAF Champions League group stage home games and all home matches in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup through the quarterfinal round (up to three potential games). Visit SportingKC.com, emailtickets@sportingkc.com or call 888-4KC-GOAL to reserve seats.

Partial season ticket packages will be released on Jan. 15 and single-game tickets for the first nine home matches will go on sale to the general public on Feb. 7. Season Ticket Members will have access to a pre-sale starting on Jan. 31 for single-game tickets to all 17 MLS regular season home matches.

Sporting Kansas City, a charter member of Major League Soccer and first place finishers in the Eastern Conference each of the last two years, will begin its 18th season on Saturday, March 2 at Philadelphia with the earliest regular season match in club history. Sporting KC boasts an MLS-best 11-4-2 record all-time in season openers and has suffered just one loss to start the season in the last 11 years.

Two weeks later, the team opens its home schedule on Saturday, March 16 by welcoming the Chicago Fire live on the NBC Sports Network as part of Major League Soccer's Rivalry Week. The match-up will mark the fifth time in club history that the two teams have met in Kansas City's regular season home opener. Sporting Kansas City is 11-2-4 in home openers in club history with only one loss in a home opener in the last 13 years.

Sporting Kansas City's home opener is the first of eight games in which the team will be showcased on the NBC Sports Network, including five home fixtures. ESPN will broadcast two of Sporting Kansas City's most anticipated road rivalries - at Houston on May 12 and at Chicago on July 7 - while UniMas has three telecasts featuring Sporting KC in 2013, including the team's visit to Supporter's Shield holders San Jose on Aug. 18.

Every Sporting Kansas City regular season MLS match will be shown live in 2013. KSMO-TV, the team's official broadcast partner, will again carry all regular season matches not nationally televised on ESPN and the NBC Sports Network, and will provide a 30-minute pre-game show prior to each of its matches.

The 2013 regular season schedule sees Sporting Kansas City play all nine teams in the Western Conference once, with five of those fixtures coming in front of a home crowd. In Eastern Conference competition, Sporting KC will play the New England Revolution and New York Red Bulls twice, coupled with three meetings scheduled against all other clubs in the East.

Sporting Kansas City will play 20 of their 34 regular season matches on Saturday's in 2013, including 10 home dates that fall on a Saturday. Of the remaining 14 MLS matches, six will be played on Sunday's, four on Friday's and four on Wednesday's.

Sporting Kansas City, who boasted the best road record in MLS last season, plays no more than two consecutive road MLS matches at any point during the regular season, but will start and end the campaign with three of four games away from home. On two occasions in 2013, the team will play a pair of games in a four-day span; a cross-country road trip taking the team from New York (April 17) to LA (April 20) to play the reigning MLS Cup champions live on the NBC Sports Network and then as part of a three-game homestand that ends with Chivas USA (May 5) and Seattle Sounders FC (May 8) in a rematch of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final.

In addition to the MLS regular season, Sporting Kansas City will defend it's U.S. Open Cup title in 2013 and are expected to enter this year's centennial tournament in the third round of the competition. The club will also participate in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League, which has group stage match dates tentatively scheduled for Aug. 6-8, Aug. 20-22, Aug. 27-29, Sept. 17-19, Sept. 24-26 and Oct. 22-24.

At the international level, Major League Soccer has scheduled no matches in 2013 that directly overlap with FIFA World Cup Qualifying. In July, the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup will take place throughout the United States.

Sporting Kansas City is coming off one of the most successful regular seasons in team history in 2012 with 18 wins and a first place finish in the Eastern Conference. The team is led by captain and reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Jimmy Nielsen, who holds the all-time team records for winning percentage and goals against average. In 2013, Nielsen is within reach of the club's all-time goalkeeping records for games played, victories and shutouts.

Manager Peter Vermes' roster returns MLS MVP finalist Graham Zusi, MLS Defender of the Year Matt Besler and the team's top scorer Kei Kamara alongside new additions that include Designated Player Claudio Bieler and U.S. Men's National Team midfielder Benny Feilhaber.

Sporting Kansas City will travel to Tucson, Ariz. and Orlando, Fla. for the team's 2013 pre-season. The team will arrive in Tucson on Jan. 20 for a two-week stay and will participate in The Desert Friendlies presented by FC Tucson at the Kino Sports Complex. After returning home to Kansas City on Feb. 2, the club will depart for the second leg of the 2013 pre-season in Orlando on Feb. 7. Sporting Kansas City will be one of several MLS teams once again competing in the 2013 Disney Pro Soccer Classicat the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex from Feb. 9-23.

Sporting Kansas City 2013 MLS Schedule

Date

Opponent

Time (CT)

TV

Sat., March 2

at Philadelphia

3:00

KSMO

Sat., March 9

at Toronto

12:30

KSMO

Sat., March 16

CHICAGO

2:00

NBCSN

Sat., March 23

at New England

3:00

KSMO

Sat., March 30

MONTREAL

7:30

KSMO

Fri., April 5

D.C. UNITED

7:30

KSMO

Wed., April 17

at New York

6:30

KSMO

Sat., April 20

at LA Galaxy

9:30

NBCSN

Sat., April 27

PORTLAND

7:30

KSMO

Sun., May 5

CHIVAS USA

4:00

UniMas/KSMO

Wed., May 8

SEATTLE

7:30

KSMO

Sun., May 12

at Houston

3:00

ESPN

Sun., May 19

at D.C. United

4:00

UniMas/KSMO

Sun., May 26

HOUSTON

2:30

NBCSN

Sat., June 1

MONTREAL

7:30

KSMO

Sat., June 22

at FC Dallas

7:30

KSMO

Sat., June 29

COLUMBUS

7:30

KSMO

Wed., July 3

VANCOUVER

7:30

KSMO

Sun., July 7

at Chicago

2:00

ESPN

Sat., July 13

TORONTO FC

7:30

KSMO

Sat., July 20

at Real Salt Lake

9:00

KSMO

Sat., July 27

at Montreal

TBD

KSMO

Sat., Aug. 3

NEW YORK

7:00

NBCSN

Sat., Aug. 10

NEW ENGLAND

7:30

KSMO

Sun., Aug. 18

at San Jose

10:00

UniMas/KSMO

Fri., Aug. 23

at Chicago

7:30

NBCSN

Sat., Aug. 31

COLORADO

7:30

KSMO

Sat., Sept. 7

COLUMBUS

7:30

KSMO

Sat., Sept. 21

at Toronto

TBD

KSMO

Fri., Sept. 27

PHILADELPHIA

7:00

NBCSN

Sat., Oct. 5

at Columbus

6:30

KSMO

Wed., Oct. 9

at Houston

7:30

KSMO

Fri., Oct. 18

D.C. UNITED

7:00

NBCSN

Sat., Oct. 26

at Philadelphia

2:00

NBCSN

Fast Facts:

Thirteen of Sporting Kansas City's MLS regular season matches in 2013 will be shown on national television in the United States, including six home matches. Eight games will air on the NBC Sports Network, three on UniMas and two on ESPN.

Every Sporting Kansas City regular season MLS match will be shown live in 2013. KSMO-TV, the team's official broadcast partner, will again carry all non-nationally televised regular season matches and will provide a 30-minute pre-game show prior to each of its matches.

Sporting Kansas City will play 20 of their 34 regular season matches on Saturday's in 2013, including 10 home dates that fall on a Saturday. Of the remaining 14 MLS matches, six will be played on Sunday's, four on Friday's and four on Wednesday's.

Sporting Kansas City will play on two holidays in the month of May, hosting Chivas USA on Cinco de Mayo live on UniMas before traveling one week later to Houston on Mother's Day live on ESPN.

Sporting Kansas City will also host games the day before the following major holidays: St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Memorial Day and Independence Day.

Sporting Kansas City's longest road trip of the MLS season will come between games in New York on April 17 before flying directly to LA for a match on April 20. Approximately 2,791 miles separate Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ and the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Sporting Kansas City's shortest road trip will occur in two trips to play the Chicago Fire on July 7 and Aug. 23. Approximately 514 miles separate Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. and Toyota Park in Bridgeton, Ill.

Sporting Kansas City plays no more than two consecutive road MLS matches at any point during the regular season, but will start and end the campaign with three of four games away from home.

On two occasions in 2013, Sporting KC will play a pair of games in a four-day span: at New York on April 17 then at LA on April 20 and two home games versus Chivas USA on May 5 and versus Seattle Sounders FC on May 8.

Sporting Kansas City's longest stretch between MLS matches comes following a home game against Montreal on June 1 and ending with a game at FC Dallas on June 22.

Notable former players who could return to Kansas City in 2013 include Montreal midfielder Davy Arnaud on March 30 and June 1, as well as Portland Timbers duo Michael Harrington and Jack Jewsbury on April 27.

Among teams in the Eastern Conference, Sporting KC will play the New England Revolution and New York Red Bulls twice, coupled with three meetings scheduled against all other clubs in the East.

Sporting Kansas City will travel twice to face the Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC, Houston Dynamo and Chicago Fire while hosting a pair of matches each against D.C. United, Montreal and Columbus.

Sporting Kansas City plays each team in the Western Conference one time in 2013, traveling to take on the LA Galaxy, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake and San Jose Earthquakes while hosting Portland Timbers, Chivas USA, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps and Colorado Rapids.

Match times for Sporting Kansas City's trips to Montreal on July 27 and Toronto on Sept. 21 will be announced at a later date, pending the forthcoming TSN/TSN2 and RDS/RDS2 schedules.

Currently, Sporting Kansas City is scheduled to play 10 matches with kick-off times prior to 5 p.m. CT and 22 matches with kick-off times after 5 p.m. CT.

Major League Soccer announced on Wednesday that the 2013 MLS Cup will be played on either Dec. 7 or 8. The championship match will once again be played at the site of the team with the better regular season record.